Make sure you are registered to vote with the local authority. If you are not registered contact the local authority quickly or click on to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk to obtain a registration form. This must be returned to the local electoral office before April 18.

Every voter gets TWO votes on May 3, polling day.

One vote is for a candidate in the local constituency and the other is for a party on a regional list. Voters can use both votes for the same party, or for different ones.

There will be 40 constituency AMs elected by the traditional first-past-the-post method and a further 20 by proportional representation.

The regional AMs are elected in five regions with four members from each. Parties draw up a list of their own candidates.

Regional seats are distributed after the constituency results, according to the size of the vote for each party. But the more first-past-the-post seats a party wins the less likely they are to win extra seats on the regional list.

Unlike the last two Assembly elections, no candidate can now stand in a constituency and on a regional list.